SPIRITUAL TERRORISTS
COLOSSIANS 1:1-2
After 9/11 more information came to light about the reality of so-called “terrorist sleeper cells” in the US. These individuals move into our neighborhoods, work regular jobs, get involved in local activities, and look like upstanding “citizens.” They use subtlety and stealth in attempting to recruit young people to the Muslim ideology.
Today within “Christianity” there are spiritual terrorists. They are spiritual integrationists who claim a belief in Jesus, while believing in other ways to Heaven, believing that the Bible has errors, believing in integrating psychology, in evolution, in no absolute truth, in New Age philosophy, humanism and a host of other “isms.” These terrorists also desire to infiltrate the Christian fellowship, and use stealth in swaying others away from the truth to embrace subtle forms of error.
With these terrorists all around us today, genuine believers in Christ need to study the book of Colossians. This church faced spiritual terrorists as well – false teachers who attempted to integrate their teaching with Christianity. We study this epistle in order to arm ourselves with the truth of the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ. The truths of this book not only inform the believer about the truth, but instruct the saint in the practical overflow of Christ living through the Christian.
In the first two verses we want to introduce this epistle and lay the foundation for understanding the truths related to the historical background. First, we look at the authority of Paul in verse 1. Next, we consider the aim of Paul in writing this book. Third, in verse 2, we note the audience of Paul. Finally, we examine the affirmation from Paul in verse 2.
I. THE AUTHORITY OF PAUL v. 1
Paul began the epistle with a statement of his apostleship. The language used here relates to that of Galatians, as this business of his apostleship begins that letter as well. The reason for this seems obvious as the problem in Galatia and Colosse threatened the local churches and the future of Christianity. The Galatians’ error dealt with legalism, while the Colossian heresy related to Gnosticism. Because of the seriousness of the heresy at Colosse Paul opened the letter announcing his authority.
The apostle received this authority “by the will of God.” An apostle became one, not of his own choice, but by the decree of God. The word “apostle” means “sent one with authority for a specific mission.” This term, in general, was used of several in the New Testament who were not holding the authoritative position like Barnabas (Acts 14:14) and Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25- the word “messenger” is the Greek word for “apostle.”). Paul used the term as the position of one who had authority from the Lord as one of the foundation gifts. Those possessing this authoritative position also had the attesting signs to validate their apostleship.
The formal office of an apostle was held by one who had witnessed the resurrected Christ and received from Him this position. The twelve, plus Paul, had direct revelation and instruction from the Lord regarding the gospel and all the doctrines of Christianity (See Galatians 1). Paul, therefore, began this epistle by announcing the authority from the Lord to engage those false teachers with the truth. This is why the false teachers tried to undermine Paul’s authority and character in order to remove his voice as being reliable.
II. THE AIM OF PAUL v. 1-2
Paul wrote to a group of believers who made up the church in Colosse. This church faced an unusual and new heresy. Some commentators and church historians believe that the heresy of Gnosticism did not begin until later in the first century. However, much of the epistle deals with issues which certainly have the markings of some form of Gnosticism. Paul’s aim in writing the letter was to deal with presenting the truth of Christ, His sufficiency, His Deity, His humanity, His complete work of salvation, and the practical living out of His life through a believer.
As one peruses this letter one can see the issues Paul confronted. First, Paul presents Christ as the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer in chapter one. He speaks of God’s fullness dwelling in Christ (1:19). In chapter 2 Paul presents the truth that in Christ dwells all treasures of wisdom and knowledge (v. 3). He warns of those who try to take believers captive through philosophy (2:8-9). Another warning in 2:16-23 deals with those who promote legalism and asceticism. Woven within those warnings Paul presents the truth of how to walk in Christ (2:6-7), and of our co-crucifixion with Christ (v. 11-12; 20; 3:1-4). In chapter three, verses 5-10, Paul speaks of how one who has died will lay aside the fleshly deeds.
From this we begin to get a picture of the kind of error that had raised its head in Colosse. The old saying is, “If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it is a duck.” What Colossians confronts looks and sound like Gnosticism. The Gnostic’s main belief, according to Barclay, was that all matter is evil and eternal. The spirit remains good.
This affected their view of creation. Since God is a Spirit and essentially good, He would not have created the evil matter which exists. If God created the world, then He also is responsible for evil. Therefore, God had these emanations which came forth and eventually distanced themselves from Him. It was one of those which created matter. Some of this teaching claimed that Satan was one of those emanations and he created the world.
This view also removed the humanity of Christ. Since matter was evil, according to their error, then Jesus could not have a body, but came as some sort of spirit being. This would totally denounce the work of the cross since He had to become a man in order to die for us.
Their view of practical holiness took two extremes. Since matter was evil you had to discipline the body, subdue it through fastings, self-asceticism, and denial. Another extreme believed that since the spirit was good and eternal you could live anyway you wanted and it did not matter.
These false teachers emphasized knowledge and some sort of mysterious, secret wisdom. Man, as an emanation from God, needed this wisdom and knowledge in order to work his way back to God.
Another error came into play as well – that of Jewish legalism. The Colossian heresy seemed to integrate several philosophical and religious beliefs, and even desired to embrace certain Christian doctrines. Ecumenical thinking was gaining ground, and it began here in Colosse.
III. THE AUDIENCE OF PAUL v. 2
Paul addressed the letter to “saints and faithful brethren.” These two descriptive terms refer not to behavior, but to the believer’s identification in Christ. “Saints” means “holy ones,” and relates to how Christ made us holy by imputing His righteousness and by imparting His nature to our spirit. Once we trust Christ as our Savior, God never calls us sinners again. Nothing changes our identity as saints. Further, the term “faithful” should be translated, “believing ones.”
These believing saints formed a church at a place called Colossae. Colossae was one of three cities situated in a valley about 100 miles east of Ephesus. The two other cities were Laodicea and Hierapolis, which Paul alluded to in 4:13. This church was probably begun, not by Paul directly, but by people like Epaphras (1:7-8), Philemon, or Archipus (4:17). It seems possible that, while Paul remained in Ephesus for two and a half years, he may have led one of these men to Christ and that man returned to Colossae and planted the church. The main body of believers were Gentiles as indicated by verses like 1:21-22 and 27.
IV. AFFIRMATION FROM PAUL v. 2
Paul commended to the church, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father.” This beginning address from the apostle was not just some ritualistic way he introduced his letters. Each time Paul used this greeting it had special significance for each church. The Colossian church needed to understand and appropriate the grace of God for sanctification. They needed to understand how Christ is the personification of grace as the God-Man. They needed God’s grace for dealing with the truth and standing against error. The grace of God not only saves the believer from the penalty of sin, but also saves him from the power of sin. God’s grace relates to His ability and power, which is unmerited.
Peace comes from the appropriation of grace. When one comes in faith to Christ initially, he immediately has peace with God. As the Christian continues to trust the Lord moment by moment, he experiences the peace of God. Again, in the context of the Colossian heresy, these saints needed the peace of God.
This introduction to this letter raises questions for our consideration. First, are we so grounded in the truth that we could discern the spiritual terrorists? Today we face the same “Gnostic” error in so many ways. Christians elevate philosophy, try to integrate science, psychology, and business, use legalism, and so forth. The theistic evolutionist really is a new-fangled attempt to redo Gnosticism.
As we study this epistle together my hope is that we will, as never before, see the sufficiency of Jesus Christ and His Word.
